[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53435-53436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13927]



[[Page 53435]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket Number USCG-2024-0339]


Cooperative Research and Development Agreement: Incident Driven 
Video Recording Systems (IDVRS) in the Form of Body-Worn Cameras (BWC), 
Various Accessories, Docking Stations, Video Management System (VMS) 
Software, and Cloud Storage Technology

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is announcing its intent to enter into a 
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Axon 
Enterprise, Inc. to evaluate Incident Driven Video Recording Systems 
(IDVRS) in the form of body-worn cameras (BWC), various accessories, 
docking stations, video management system (VMS) software, and cloud 
storage technology. While the Coast Guard is currently considering 
partnering with Axon Enterprise, Inc., we are soliciting public comment 
on the possible nature of and participation of other parties in the 
proposed CRADA. In addition, the Coast Guard also invites other 
potential Federal participants, who have the interest and capability to 
bring similar contributions to this type of research, to consider 
submitting proposals for consideration in similar CRADAs.

DATES: Your comments and related material must reach the Coast Guard on 
or before July 26, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2024-0339 using the Federal portal at https://www.regulations.gov. See 
the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion of the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for further instructions on 
submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about this 
notice of intent, call or email Matt Burton, Rapid Reaction Technology 
Branch, U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center; telephone 
860-271-2600, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Table of Abbreviations

BWC Body-worn cameras
CRADA Cooperative Research and Development Agreement
DHS Department of Homeland Security
LEOs Law enforcement officers
U.S.C. United States Code

II. Background and Purpose

    The Coast Guard is developing a material solution to meet the 
requirements for body-worn cameras (BWC) as specified in Executive 
Order 14074 of May 25, 2022, and DHS's BWC Policy 045-47 (2023). The 
BWC policy mandates the use of body cameras for Law Enforcement 
Officer's (LEO's) while engaged in interactions with the public, pre-
planned arrest warrants, and during the execution of search and seizure 
warrants or orders. The BWC program has limited implementation within 
the Coast Guard and is currently utilized by select operational units 
on a small scale. The Research and Development Center is supporting a 
technology understanding of the Coast Guard's interest in expanding BWC 
usage to all LEO's.

III. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We request public comments on this notice. Although we do not plan 
to respond to comments in the Federal Register, we will respond 
directly to commenters and may modify our proposal in light of 
comments.
    We encourage you to submit comments in response to this notice of 
inquiry through the Federal Decision Making portal at https://www.regulations.gov. To do so, go to https://www.regulations.gov, type 
USCG-2024-0339 in the search box and click ``Search.'' Next, look for 
this document in the Search Results column, and click on it. Then click 
on the Comment option. In your submission, please include the docket 
number for this notice of inquiry and provide a reason for each 
suggestion or recommendation. If your material cannot be submitted 
using https://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate 
instructions. Public comments will also be placed in our online docket 
and can be viewed by following instructions on the https://www.regulations.gov Frequently Asked Questions web page. We review all 
comments received, but we may choose not to post off-topic, 
inappropriate, or duplicate comments that we receive.
    We accept anonymous comments. Comments we post to https://www.regulations.gov will include any personal information you have 
provided. For more about privacy and submissions in response to this 
document, see DHS's eRulemaking System of Records notice (85 FR 14226, 
March 11, 2020).

IV. Discussion

    Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) are 
authorized under 15 U.S.C. 3710a.\1\ A CRADA promotes the transfer of 
technology to the private sector for commercial use, as well as 
specified research or development efforts that are consistent with the 
mission of the Federal parties to the CRADA. The Federal party or 
parties agree with one or more non-Federal parties to share research 
resources, but the Federal party does not contribute funding.
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    \1\ The statute confers this authority on the head of each 
Federal agency. The Secretary of DHS's authority is delegated to the 
Coast Guard and other DHS organizational elements by DHS Delegation 
No. 0160.1, para. II.B.34.
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    CRADAs are not procurement contracts. Care is taken to ensure that 
CRADAs are not used to circumvent the contracting process. CRADAs have 
a specific purpose and should not be confused with procurement 
contracts, grants, and other type of agreements.
    Under the proposed CRADA, the R&D Center will collaborate with one 
non-Federal participant. Together, the R&D Center and the non-Federal 
participant will conduct an evaluation of the BWC technology and 
support systems in various test scenarios to determine the technology's 
performance and suitability to Coast Guard LEO missions.
    We anticipate that the Coast Guard's contributions under the 
proposed CRADA will include the following:
    1. Provide appropriate staff with pertinent expertise to take the 
lead in accomplishing the required tasks;
    2. Provide information regarding the ensemble items and parameters 
needed for creating the test plan;
    3. Provide all support resources, including travel, for Coast Guard 
staff that supports this CRADA;
    4. Obtain, transport and provide all of the ensemble items to be 
used during the testing;
    5. Provide personnel support to non-Federal participant to assist 
with setting up and execute testing in accordance with the agreed upon 
test plan; and
    6. Work with non-Federal participant to develop a Final Report, 
which will document the methodologies, findings, conclusions, and 
recommendations of this CRADA work.
    We anticipate that the non-Federal participants' contributions 
under the proposed CRADA will include the following:
    1. Provide appropriate staff with pertinent expertise to support 
the above mentioned tasks;

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    2. Provide necessary technology equipment and services needed to 
conduct test scenarios;
    3. Provide technical assistance for the test plan;
    4. Provide support services during the Coast Guard's test scenarios 
in accordance with the agreed upon test plan; and
    5. Provide test data review and feedback as agreed upon completion 
of testing.
    The Coast Guard reserves the right to select for CRADA participants 
all, some, or no proposals submitted for this CRADA. The Coast Guard 
will provide no funding for reimbursement of proposal development 
costs. Proposals and any other material submitted in response to this 
notice will not be returned. Proposals submitted are expected to be 
unclassified and have not more than five single-sided pages (excluding 
cover page, DD 1494, JF-12, etc.). The Coast Guard will select 
proposals at its sole discretion on the basis of:
    1. How well they communicate an understanding, of and ability to 
meet, the proposed CRADA's goal; and
    2. How well they address the following criteria:
    a. Technical capability to support the non-Federal party 
contributions described, and
    b. Resources available for supporting the non-Federal party 
contributions described.
    Currently, the Coast Guard is considering Axon Enterprise, Inc. for 
participation in this CRADA. This consideration is based on the fact 
that Axon Enterprise, Inc. has demonstrated its technical capability 
and ability to comply with DHS and DoD requirements for BWC 
implementation. However, we do not wish to exclude other viable 
participants from this or similar CRADAs in the future.
    This is a technology evaluation effort. The goal of this CRADA is 
to evaluate technology for its potential compatibility, integration, 
and ease of use with Coast Guard uniforms, Personal Protective 
Equipment (PPE), and enforcement gear used by Coast Guard personnel as 
well as the compatibility, integration, and ease of use with Coast 
Guard Information Technology (IT) systems. Special consideration will 
be given to small business firms and consortia, and preference will be 
given to business units located in the U.S.
    This notice is issued under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a).

    Dated: June 20, 2024.
M.P. Chien,
Captain, Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development 
Center.
[FR Doc. 2024-13927 Filed 6-25-24; 8:45 am]
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